by Brand

All vices are made of two basic parts: the stationary body and the sliding jaw, which puts pressure on the workpiece. This pressure is transmitted by the handle (or tommy bar) through the main screw which is located by a long nut. The nut should be securely locked and dovetailed into the body so that the body and sliding jaw are always in alignment. All bearing surfaces should be accurately machined for smooth operation.

Metal Working Vices

The body, sliding jaw and nut should be cast from high quality grey iron while the handle, main screw and replaceable jaws should be of steel.

Record vices are designed for strength under pressure, which can be as much as 3 tons between the jaws, but they should never be struck with a hammer or used as a part-time anvil. When using a vice to hold a product which is likely to be struck by a hammer it is always best to use an unbreakable vice.

Users should never forget the substantial pressure applied through vice jaws and it is customary to use fibre grips for mechanics and engineers vice jaws or wooden cheeks or soft inserts in other vices in order to protect the work.

Drill Press VicesThese vices are bolted to the base of a drill stand to hold material for drilling, boring, tapping and other press work.

Engineer's VicesHeavy duty ductile-iron vice designed to withstand the shocks of hammering, chipping and other tough applications. High tensile body and slide castings guaranteed against breakage.

Mechanic & Fitter's VicesStrong and rigid in design, this most popular medium duty bench vice is made in a range of sizes from 3in to 8in

Woodworkers vices are mounted under the bench top; the back jaw being fitted flush with the work top. As with a metalwork vice, these can be supplied with either a plain screw or quick release mechanism. The main threads are often more coarse than on an engineers vice as lower pressures tend to be exerted on the workpiece. Woodworking vices are provided with countersunk holes in the front and back jaws to facilitate the fitting of jaw plates or 'cheeks' to protect the work and prevent damage to sharp tools. Cheeks are user made and fitted.

Options include :

Quick Release : A trigger mechanism which unlocks the main screw allowing the sliding jaw to be quickly opened and closed without winding the handle.

Plain Screw : A vice which is not fitted with a quick release.

Front Dog : The front dog is a block of metal or wood in the front jaw of a vice which can be raised above the level of the bench top as a form of bench stop.